Germany has increased permits for arms deliveries to Israel, surpassing any previous estimate, according to data released by the country’s foreign ministry yesterday. 

According to the German Foreign Ministry, military arms export approvals to Israel had a total value of 94.05 million euros as of August.

This amount is more than double the 45.7 million euros, which was the value of approved exports as reported by the Finance Ministry to the Economic Affairs Committee of the Bundestag (lower house) during the year to 13 October.

The new data, which came to the knowledge of the German Agency, is contained in response to a question submitted by a member of parliament of the Alliance party Zara Wagenknecht (BSW), which opposes arms deliveries to Israel, an issue that has been causing strong reactions in Germany for months.

Last year, Chancellor Olaf Solz’s coalition government approved sales of military equipment worth 326.5 million euros, including military weapons worth 20.1 million euros. Hamas’ unprecedented attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, led to the issuance of most of the permits. However, the number of permits significantly decreased in the first months of this year.

Previous responses to parliamentary questions indicated approvals for military equipment sales of just 14.4 million euros as of August 21.The suspension of military weapon exports began in early March.

Friedrich Merz, the head of Germany’s main opposition Christian Democratic Union (CDU, right-wing), criticizes Chancellor Scholz’s government for blocking the export of ammunition and tank parts produced by German industries to Israel.

The Scholz government has repeatedly emphasized that it never decided to ban the export of weapons or other military goods to Israel, and the chancellor personally assured in a special pre-order debate in the Bundestag on the anniversary of the attack that they delivered weapons and would continue to deliver weapons to the armed forces of Israel.

With information from: AMNA

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